Chair.



R. S. CALEF.

CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED PERA, 1909.

Y 1,019,594. Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 2.

25 i elevation of a knock-down chair constructed 40 frame or sections.

,UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

ROBERT S. CALEF, OF KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

CHAIR.V

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Application filed February 4, 1909. Serial No. 475,963.

f To all whom fit may concern:4

ycitizen of the United States,

`State of New Hampshire, Improvement in Chairs,

Beit known that I, ROBERT S. CALEF, a and a resident in the county of Cheshire and have invented an of which the folof Keene,

p lowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,

pe. In order that the principles of my invention may be clearly understood, I have disi 1 closed a single type thereof in the accomresenting the panying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a plan view of the upper surface of a chair seat constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a detail reppreferred manner of uniting the adjacent ends of the filling into one continuous length; Fig. 3 is a detail view in Y ers ective re resentinv one manner of seframe having curing an end of the warp; Fig. 4 is a side in accordance with `my invention; Fig. 5 is a plan view representing the preferred manner of applying the main portion of the filling to the front and rear stretchers; Fig. under side plan View of a chair seat constructed in accordance with my invention, the main portion of the filling and the warp having been applied thereto; Fig. 7 is a plan view representing a seat flexible and preferably resilient corner brackets; and Fig. 8 is a detail representing a slightly modified manner of connect-ing the corner brackets to the body In the weaving by hand of chair seats of the general type to which this invention more particularly relates, it has been customary heretofore first to apply the warp (that is to saythe material passing from `side to side of the seat) and usually in a 1 particularly continuous piece. Thereafter the weft (the material extending from front to rear of the seat) has been inserted in short lengths.

Chair seats to which this invention more relates are generally formed of ratan strips, which are received at the place of manufacture of the chair in varying lengths. I-Ieretofore in applying the short lengths of the filling, it has been customary to wrap one end of a filling strand upon the under side of the seat about a yconvenient portion of the warp strands, and then interweave the filling with the already positioned warp strands passing the same from front to rear or vice versa a number of times dependcnt upon the natural length of such strand. Inasmuch as in such former method of weaving the only way of securing the final end of each filling strand has been to wrap the same about a convenient portion of the warp, and inasmuch as such method of operation resulted in an unsightly joint, it has been the practice always to have the final end of each filling strand terminate upon the under side of the chair seat and to secure it upon the under side of the warp. To do this, it is usually necessary to sacrifice more or less of the natural length of the strand. This has resulted in avery substantial waste of material, thus increasing the cost of the chair. Moreover, in the type of chair to which my invention more particularly relates, it has been customary to make the filling lengths (that is to say--that length of a filling strand that is embraced between the front and rear stretchers) twice as nuoerous as the warp lengths. Since therefore the filling lengths were put in singly, it will be apparent that the application of the filling to the chair seat consumed much more time than did the application of the warp. y

In applying t-he seating to the chair in the method heretofore practiced, `the chair frame was suitably clamped in such manner that it might readily be inverted from time to time. The operative stood at the side of the chair so that the warp extended from him. In this position, he was greatly hampered in his work if the chair were provided with arms.

It will be apparent that in the method heretofore practiced, the filling is connected at its ends directly to the warp and that it is not self-sustaining; that is to say, the strain in use is put upon the warp which, as above described, is but half as extensive as the filling.

In the practice of my invention, I connect separate strands of material, preferably ratan, into one continuous length of filling by suitably splicing the ends. I connect one end of such continuous strand in any suitable manner, as, for example, to either the front or the rear stretcher and then wrap such continuous strand about the frame of tveft has a seat tapering from fro-iit to rear, I inthe seat from front to rear, the operative standing at the front of the chair iii such manner as not to be interfered with by the arms if such be provided. The final end of the continuous strand may be secured in any suitable manner.- It will thus be apparent that the filling is self-sustaining. It will furthermore be apparent that there is no waste material. Furthermore, since the amount of filling is substantially twice that of the warp, and inasmuch as the .lling is applied in a continuous length by wrapping the same in the manner described, mu ch time is saved in this step of the operation. The filling is wrapped from front to rear with sufficient looseness to permit the interweaving of the warp. In those chairs, the seat whereof' tapers from front to rear, the main portion only of the filling is thus wrapped in one continuous length, the edge port-ions of the filling being' interwoven with the warp after the latter has been positioned. In the further practice of my invention and after the application'of the main portion of the filling to the chair frame in the manner described, I then interweave the warp with the filling, and in doing so preferably splice the ends of the natural lengt-hs of material to each other to constitute a single continuous warp strand. Thereafter, if the chair said uprights 2 may tions disassembled, bled at the point of the stretchers 3 and rights 2. Herein I The filling l1 stretchers of the and in any suitable m the terweave short lengths of lling at the edges of the main portion thereof to complete the chair seat. lhether or not the filling and the warp bev positioned and secured as described, I contemplate the use of wire brackets for supporting some or allA of the st-retchers of the seat frame, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the body of the chair may be of any suitable type, being either a set-up or a knock-down chair. In Fig. 4, I have represented my invention as applied to a knockdown chair having' front uprights 1 and rear uprights 2. If the chair be of the knockdown type, the same is composed preferably of front and rear sections, the front section comprising theA front uprights, and if desired a suitable lower cross or front stretcher and also lower side stretchers, such as indicated at 3 in Fig. 4. If desired, arms 4 may be attached to the front uprights l.

The frame of the chair seat may be composed of a front stretcher 5 permanently secured to the front uprights -1 and side stretchers 6 permanent-ly secured to the said side uprights 1 and extending' rearwardly therefrom, together with a rear cross stretcher 7 (see Fig. 7) suitably and permanently connected to the side stretchers. Preferably, however, I may construct the seat frame as a separate structure composed of front, rear and side stretchers connected by corner brackets, all or some the entire width front thereof. If

In Fig. 5, lthe main spaced somewhat fr show more clearly t attachment of the re cost of the chair.

Referring more and 3, the warp is suitable manner, along one of the the filling, may be shedded to It is apparent that t series the portions ably,

8 to receive the lower 'si 9 t-o receive the arms 4, and sockets 10 ceive the side stretchers 6 of the seat frame. Usually the chair is shipped withthe secsockets provided th and rear stretchers the cr des the continuous length point closely adjacent rig'hts 2, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1.

ing the filling in the manner d save much time and materially reduce the and interwoven with the vsecuring one end of the as by extending the same side stretchers 6, and then wrapping it about the adjacent front or rear stretcher, such, for example, as the rear stretcher 7 (see Fig. warp is passed from one side stretcher to the being interwoven with opposite side stretcher which 1n any suitable manner not shown).

of 4which are preferably formed of coiled wire, as will be hereinafter described.

rIhe rear section of the chair includes the rear uprights 2 preferably connected bv a lower cross stretcher The be provided with sockets de rungs 3, sockets to rethe chair being assemdestination by applying 6 and the arms 4 have termed the anner, as to to the erefor in the rear upfront oss stretchers.

(see particularly Fig. 5) is first passed about the front and rearchair s-eat as a continuous ial bea'ble mang does not occupy of the chair seat at the ired, and preferably, of filling begins at a one of the rear upportion of the filling is om the rear uprights to he preferred ar stretcher.

warp 1Q, i

ner of applyescribed I ppart-icularly to Figs. 1 applied to the chair seat filling by first n any Thereafter the permit such operation.

he end of the war be interwoven by hand with the fillin if desired a needle may or if preferred any suit be employed to elevate of the filling.

p may g, and

, spliced together in chair seat be tapered ous length consisting of the natural lengths of the material with the adjacent ends the manner indicated in having been interwoven in the manner described, the final end thereof is secured in any suitable manner. If the as indicated in Figs. 1, 5 and 6, the lateral edge portions of the filling are inserted in short lengths 15, 16, lengths and the shape of Fig. 2. The warp their extent depending upon the chair.

It is apparent that in a chair thus constructed, the filling is self-sustained, and inasmuch as it is of substantially twice the extent of the warp, the chair is substantially twice as strong as in the old method of Weaving. A great portion of the strain upon the strands in use may thus be borne by the filling.

In the application of the warp, it is passed from one side stretcher to the opposite side stretcher, and then it is preferably wrapped completely about such second side stretcher one or more times, as indicated at 19 in Fig. 1. Thereafter it is returned to the first side stretcher and wrapped comcated in Figs. 1 and 6, to

pletely about the same one or more times, as indicated at 20. By thus wrapping the warp about the side stretchers, portions vthereof are spaced apart, as clearly indipermit the proper interweaving of the warp with the filling. I contemplate the employment of wire corner brackets to support some or all of the seat stretchers. If desired, only the rear or only the front stretcher may be so supported, but preferably I employ such a bracket at each of the corners. The wire bracket that I preferably employ is resilient, and it is sometimes found desirable to use such brackets only with the rear stretcher, as thus a seat yielding at the rear in use is provided. In Figs. 4 to 7, I have illustrated this feature of my invention. In said figures, I have represented the front and rear stretchersas supported by wires 21--21` having their ends 22, 23 coiled about the adjacent ends of the side and cross stretchers. Viewing more particularly Fig. 5, it will be apparent that the ends of the side stretchers 6 are inserted into sockets in the rear uprights, but thatthe rear stretchers 7 are not connected to the rear uprights, being supported 'only by the wire corner brackets. Preferably also the front stretcher 5 is supported only by the wire corner brackets, but if desired may be provided with ends projecting into sockets in the front uprights 1-1.

Many advantages are secured by the use of wire corner brackets, among the more important of which may be enumerated the following. A corner bracket formed as a casting or of pressed material, such as steel,

requires that the ends of the stretchers exactly fit the holes therein. If the stretchers be of too large a diameter, the casting is broken from driving the stretcher in, and if it be of too small a diameter the parts will not remain assembled. On the other hand, with a coiled wire bracket, the coil will expand if the stretcher be of too large a diameter, and the result is an exceedingly tight and permanent fit. In using the Wire bracket, I preferably make the stretcher of somewhat too large a diameter and then drive it into the coil of the bracket, thus expanding the latter. The wire fabric is far cheaper than a casting or pressed bracket, and in fact can be made at about one quarter of the cost. Corner bracket `castings frequently become broken in transit. The chair seats are customarily shipped 1n bundles and are subjected to rough usage while being transported. Vhere wire corner brackets are used, they are at most merely bent out of shape and can easily be rebent into proper form. Moreover, the wire corner braket is not only flexible or pliant, but is resilient, and thus yieldingly supports the front or the rear stretchers or both according to the manner of application of the brackets. In applying the Warp to the seating, that is-the strand or strands passing about the side stretchers, such warp contracts the frame laterally. In assembling the chair, the flexible quality of the wire brackets permits the drawing apart of the side rungs, that is, the expansion of the seat to its full width, so that the side rungs will fit the sockets in the uprights. The result of this is furthermore to tighten the warps, which lheretofore have become somewhat slack.

It has been found in practice far easier to fit an elastic or resilient seat into the uprights than is the case with a rigid seat, owing to the ease with which the seat can be expanded or compressed as required to fit particular uprights. Both seat frames arid uprights vary in size, and hence with the rigid frame the parts cannot always be fitted together' at the point of destination, and frequently it is necessary to return the chair to the factory. With the Wire corner bracket, it is a simple matter to so bend the brackets in assembling the chair as to bring the side stretchers into just the right vertical position with respect to the front and rear stretchers. It is usually preferred to have the side stretcher somewhat above the front and rear stretchers. This result can be accomplished with the bracket of my invention by bending the wires, if necessary. Furthermore, it is a fact that the legs of some chairs are bent more than others, while the stretchers are made in large quantities and of uniform size. Thus, it often happens that the side stretchers do not enter the sockets of the legs far enough and leave the shoulders thereon exposed. this case, the wire brackets can be driven to force them snugly up to the shoulders, thus concealing the latter.

The non-coiled parts of the brackets intermediate the coiled ends thereof prevent opposite brackets,-that is, brackets of opposite stretchers,-from yielding perceptibly toward each other. In other words, and viewing Fig. 6, the non-coiled parts of the brackets of the front and rear stretchers 5 and 7 do not yield perceptibly toward each other, but maintain the filling ll taut. In the construction shown in Fig. S, the intermediate portions of the several brackets are sufliciently unyielding to hold both the Warp and the filling taut. In other Words, the corner brackets are not resilient in every direction owing to the non-coiled portions thereof". The said non-coiled portions prevent the entire weight of the chair occupant from coming upon the warp 12, but cause a proportionate part of such weight to be borne by the tively unyielding nature of the noncoiled portions support the rear stretcher sufliciently to accomplish this result. The portion of each bracket between its coiled ends extends `in a direction to resist movement of a coiled end bodily inward,-that is, toward the center of the chair seat.

In Fig. 8, I have represented a slightly modified construction of parts wherein none of the seat stretchers is provided with a projecting portion to enter an upright. In such construction, the bracket is applied in a suitable manner to the uprights, as for example by grooving the uprights to receive the wire, or by providing studs upon the uprights to support the brackets. For this purpose, I have herein represented studs 24 passing through eyes formed in the wires intermediate their coiled portions, said studs entering the uprights and supporting the seat in position. Such type of seat may be readily removed, if desired.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, I desire it to filling 1l, because the relabe understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims.

l. A chair composed of side and trans verse front and rear stretchers, seating strands and legs, with means for supporting a transversely extending stretcher from the side stretchers, said means consisting tof two strips of slightly resilient metal each having its opposite ends coiled about the adjacent ends of a transverse stretcher and a side stretcher, each strip intermediate its coiled ends having a non-coiled portion constituting means substantially to prevent yielding of said transverse stretcher toward the opposite transverse stretcher, thereby holding said stretcher comparatively rigid but providing flexible end supports, and maintaining under normal tension the strands extending from the front to the rear of said chair.

2. A chair seat frame composed of side and transverse front and rear stretchers, with means for connecting one or both of the transversely extending stretchers to the side stretchers, said means consisting of strips of metal each having its o-pposite ends coiled about the adjacent ends of a transverse stretcher and a side stretcher, each strip intermediate its coiled ends having a non-coiled portion constituting means substantially to prevent yielding of said transverse stretcher toward the opposite transverse stretcher, thereby holding said transverse stretcher comparatively rigid butwith slightly fiexible angular end supports.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT S. CALEF. Witnesses:

F. D. RoDERBUsH, L. G. LrroHFrELD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

